Americans United - human rightshttps://au.org/tags/human-rights
enCelebrate LGBTQ History Month By Opposing Discrimination In The Name Of Religion https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/celebrate-lgbtq-history-month-by-opposing-discrimination-in-the-name-of
<a href="/about/people/rokia-hassanein">Rokia Hassanein</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>October <a href="https://lgbthistorymonth.com/background">marks LGBTQ History Month</a> – a month dedicated to celebrating icons of the LGBTQ community. This LGBTQ History Month and every month, Americans United is proud to stand with our LGBTQ neighbors and oppose discrimination in the name of religion.</p>
<p>“The LGBT community is the only community worldwide that is not taught its history at home, in public schools or in religious institutions,” reads a website maintained by <a href="https://equalityforum.com/">Equality Forum</a>. “LGBT History Month provides role models, builds community and makes the civil rights statement about our extraordinary national and international contributions.”</p>
<p>LGBTQ History Month is important because it shows that progress can triumph over hate. Each day of the month is dedicated a member of the LGBTQ community who has contributed and advocated for progress and inclusion. With <a href="https://www.hrc.org/resources/national-coming-out-day">National Coming Out Day</a> coming up on October 11, it’s important to remember that not everybody feels safe coming out, and not everybody, especially young people, is getting the support they need. It makes a significant difference for members of the LGBTQ community to have role models to look up to or relate to.</p>
<p>It’s also an important time to reflect on how far we’ve come as a nation with LGBTQ rights – and how far we still have to go. The history of church-state separation has intersected with LGBTQ history often. For decades, <a href="https://au.org/church-state/october-1999-church-state/featured/the-religious-rights-gay-agenda">the Religious Right has fought to restrict LGBTQ rights in the name of religion</a>, while social justice activists and groups have fought back.</p>
<p>Recently, there have been many victories in the struggle to expand LGBTQ rights: <a href="http://www.marriageequality.org/">Marriage equality</a> is a reality nationwide, and there are a growing number of protections in place against LGBTQ discrimination. </p>
<p><img alt="" src="/files/prideeeeeeee.jpg" style="width: 800px; height: 533px;" /></p>
<p><em>Religious freedom is about fairness, not discrimination</em>. </p>
<p>These changes came about only in the face of entrenched opposition from Religious Right groups, and they aren’t giving up. Attempts to use religion as an excuse to ignore anti-discrimination laws are a major threat to the progress we’ve achieved, and that’s why Americans United is so active in this area. Through our <a href="http://www.protectthyneighbor.org/">Protect Thy Neighbor</a> (PTN) project, AU was recently involved in several cases that highlight how members of the LGBTQ community are fighting back against discrimination.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.protectthyneighbor.org/gavin-grimm">W</a><a href="http://www.protectthyneighbor.org/gavin-grimm">e were proud to file briefs in support of Gavin Grimm</a>, a 17-year-old transgender high-school senior fighting for the right to use the public school restroom that aligns with his gender identity. We also <a href="https://au.org/church-state/october-2017-church-state/featured/west-virginia-win">recently secured a legal settlement for Samantha Brookover and Amanda Abramovich</a> of West Virginia, a lesbian couple who were harassed by a Gilmer County clerk while seeking a marriage license in 2016. The clerk called them an “abomination” and said that God will “deal” with them. The U.S. Constitution guarantees equal treatment under the law and bars this type of discrimination. (Brookover and Abramovich received national recognition for their efforts when <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/pages/interactives/faces-of-pride/#/person/samantha-brookover-and-amanda-abramovich?_k=kklxyn"><em>USA TODAY </em></a><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/pages/interactives/faces-of-pride/#/person/samantha-brookover-and-amanda-abramovich?_k=kklxyn">featured them as</a> one of their “Faces of Pride” for Pride Month in June.)</p>
<p>In 2017, it’s safe to say we’ve come so far, but the fight is definitely far from over. Remember, an important case that could have tremendous implications for religious freedom is pending before the Supreme Court. The case, <a href="http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/masterpiece-cakeshop-ltd-v-colorado-civil-rights-commn/"><em>Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission</em></a>, involves a Colorado bakery that is using religion as <a href="https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/a-colo-case-gives-the-supreme-court-an-opportunity-to-say-that-businesses">an excuse to discriminate</a> against same-sex couples by refusing to serve them. Americans United will file a legal brief telling the Supreme Court that the First Amendment does not excuse businesses from their obligation to treat all customers equally – even when the desire to discriminate is motivated by religion.</p>
<p>Religious freedom is about fairness; we don’t use religion as a license to discriminate. Through PTN, AU will continue opposing any attempts to use religion to relegate members of the LGBTQ community, or anyone else, to second-class citizenship. <a href="https://secure.everyaction.com/Z0BKvxZt40GCdoNOrhgWkw2">We urge you to get involved</a>.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/outside-workplace-discrimination-exemptions-religious-practice-including-military-prisons">Institutional Discrimination, Exemptions &amp; Religious Practice (Including Immigration, Military, Prisons &amp; Healthcare)</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/responding-common-attacks-church-state-separation">Responding to Common Attacks on Church-State Separation</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/lgbtq-history-month">LGBTQ History Month</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/national-coming-out-day">National Coming Out Day</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-freedom">religious freedom</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/discrimination">discrimination</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/equality">equality</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/human-rights">human rights</a></span></div></div>Wed, 04 Oct 2017 13:56:04 +0000Rokia Hassanein13261 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/celebrate-lgbtq-history-month-by-opposing-discrimination-in-the-name-of#commentsNew Poll Reveals White Christian Evangelicals Believe They’re Discriminated Against More Than Muslimshttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/new-poll-reveals-white-christian-evangelicals-believe-they-re-discriminated
<a href="/about/people/rokia-hassanein">Rokia Hassanein</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>A new <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/03/perceptions-discrimination-muslims-christians/519135/?utm_source=atlfb">Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) poll reveals</a> that most white evangelical Christians in the United States believe they’re discriminated against more than American Muslims are.</p>
<p>The poll revealed that among white evangelical Protestants, 57 percent believe that discrimination against Christians in the U.S. today is high, while 44 percent believe the same about Muslims. According to the poll, this was the only religious group that reported they believed American Christians face discrimination that’s comparable to the discrimination American Muslims endure.</p>
<p>Of other religious groups mentioned: White Catholics, white mainline Protestants and others were “roughly twice as likely to say Muslims face discrimination compared to how they see the Christian experience.”</p>
<p>And according to previous surveys, these new results suggest that white evangelicals now actually perceive even less discrimination against Muslims than they did a few years ago. This comes despite the fact that Muslims are victims of 22 percent of religiously motivated hate crimes in the U.S., compared to 13.6 percent of religiously motivated hate crimes affecting all Christian denominations combined.</p>
<p>While discrimination is not valid no matter what group is targeted, as Emma Green of <em>The Atlantic </em>notes: “Considering that Muslims are estimated to make up less than 1 percent of the American population, compared to Christians’ 70 percent, these numbers are even more stark.”</p>
<p>When PRRI asked the same question about religiously motivated discrimination in December 2013, 59 percent of white evangelicals reported that they believed Muslims deal with significant discrimination. In October, that number dropped to 56 percent, and now, it’s at 44 percent.</p>
<p><img alt="" src="/files/GettyImages-157444457_0.jpg" style="width: 800px; height: 531px;" /></p>
<p><em>A new survey highlights how some religious groups perceive discrimination.</em></p>
<p><a href="http://au.org/content/au-fights-trumps-muslim-ban-in-court">This comes at a time when President Donald J. Trump</a> is issuing Muslim bans and religiously motivated immigration discrimination policies. Trump <a href="http://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/trump-s-share-of-the-white-evangelical-vote-was-huge">won the presidency with huge support from white evangelicals</a>, and <u>a recent PRRI poll revealed that the Muslim ban is widely unpopular among </u>most groups in the U.S. – except white evangelicals. (Seems like a trend.)</p>
<p>This doesn’t come as a surprise, despite white evangelical Christians being a majority that enjoys a lot of privilege. <a href="http://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/i-survived-my-first-values-voter-summit-here-s-what-i-thought">When I attended the Values Voter Summit</a> (VVS), a Religious Right gathering, last year, I saw this mentality. As I wrote then: “If I were to write a synopsis about the VVS, it would be: ‘Highly privileged majority members of society gather to debate whether they’re oppressed due to their legally limited power to oppress other people.’”</p>
<p>Unfortunately, it seems as though that mentality hasn’t wavered, as the survey results noted that one of the factors that makes white evangelicals perceive discrimination includes social progress such the advance of LGBTQ rights.</p>
<p>Of course, not all white evangelicals’ views are reflected in this survey, but it’s still disappointing to see results like this. <a href="http://www.protectthyneighbor.org/">As we’ve noted many times</a>, the idea that one’s religious freedom rights are being infringed upon because other marginalized groups are gaining more rights is not true. That distorts the meaning of religious freedom.</p>
<p>Religious freedom means people are free to believe, or not, as they see fit. That concept doesn’t grant you the power to discriminate against others or cause them harm. Yet across the country, Religious Right activists are pushing legislation that would allow them to do just that.</p>
<p>You can learn about these latest threats – and how to stop them – at AU’s <a href="http://www.protectthyneighbor.org/">Protect Thy Neighbor</a> site.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/descriptions-and-activities-religious-right-groups">Descriptions and Activities of Religious Right Groups</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/public-religion-research-institute-prri">Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI)</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-discrimination">religious discrimination</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/muslims">Muslims</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/white-christians">White Christians</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/hate-crimes">hate crimes</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/values-voter-summit-vvs">Values Voter Summit (VVS)</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/human-rights">human rights</a></span></div></div>Tue, 14 Mar 2017 02:57:59 +0000Rokia Hassanein12783 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/new-poll-reveals-white-christian-evangelicals-believe-they-re-discriminated#commentsAmericans United Named ‘Human Rights Hero’ By Lawyers’ Magazine https://au.org/church-state/march-2013-church-state/people-events/americans-united-named-human-rights-hero-by
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>A magazine published by the American Bar Association (ABA) bestowed honors on Americans United recently when it named the organization a “Human Rights Hero.”</p><p>The ABA’s <em>Human Rights</em> magazine, which is published by the organization’s Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities, published a special issue on religious liberty and church-state issues in January. The publication included a guest column by Americans United Executive Director Barry W. Lynn, who is an attorney as well as an ordained minister.</p><p>“Religious liberty is vitally important to the American people,” Lynn wrote. “But a misunderstood right can never be properly exercised. Religious liberty does <em>not</em> mean being handed state sanctions to force your theology on other people. It does <em>not</em> mean being given a free pass from laws you do not like. It does <em>not</em> mean your faith gets a little help from the state.”</p><p>The publication included a number of articles examining current issues in religious liberty, including the ongoing efforts by the Catholic bishops and the Religious Right to end the contraceptive mandate in the Affordable Care Act.</p><p>Alexander Wohl, an adjunct professor at American University Law School, penned a column singling out the work of Americans United.</p><p>Wrote Wohl, “For more than sixty-five years Americans United has taken on the toughest issues in the area of religious freedom: defending both an individual’s right to practice his or her religion and the right to abstain from the practice of religion; countering the politicization of religion and belief; and never shying from the battle against those who have sought to chip away at what Thomas Jefferson so famously identified as the wall of separation between church and state.”</p><p>Wohl added, “Today, Americans United’s docket includes cases ranging from efforts to prevent public schools from holding commencements in churches, to ensuring that government bodies do not include prayers in public meetings, to opposition to public funding for activities endorsing religion, such as state-funded repair of a giant cross in Illinois. When it comes to the principles and precedents of church-state litigation, no case or issue related to the protection of religious liberty is too minor for the organization’s focus and advocacy.”</p></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-department field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">People &amp; Events</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-issue field-type-node-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Magazine Issue:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><article id="node-8088" class="node node-church-state-issue clearfix">
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<h2><a href="/church-state/march-2013-church-state">
The <span class="cs-month field">March</span> <span class="cs-year field"><span class="date-display-single">2013</span></span> issue of <em>Church &amp; State</em>
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<h3 class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/march-2013-church-state/featured/reading-writing-religious-intolerance">Reading, Writing &amp; Religious Intolerance</a></h3>
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<h3 class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/march-2013-church-state/featured/the-next-chapter">The Next Chapter</a></h3>
<h4>From Symposia At The National Constitution Center In Philadelphia To First Amendment Day Celebrations In Texas, AU&#039;s Chapter Network Has Exciting Plans</h4> </div>
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<h3 class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/march-2013-church-state/featured/betsy-pursell">Betsy Pursell </a></h3>
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</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/american-bar-association">American Bar Association</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/human-rights">human rights</a></span></div></div>Fri, 01 Mar 2013 05:01:00 +0000Timothy Ritz8107 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/church-state/march-2013-church-state/people-events/americans-united-named-human-rights-hero-by#commentsInternational Intrigue: Group Seeks More Religion In U.S. Foreign Policyhttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/international-intrigue-group-seeks-more-religion-in-us-foreign-policy
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Secular government is a positive value that’s worth exporting overseas.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Yesterday, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs’ 32-member task force <a href="http://www.thechicagocouncil.org/UserFiles/File/Task%20Force%20Reports/2010%20Religion%20Task%20Force_Full%20Report.pdf">asked</a> the U.S. government to make religion “integral” to American foreign policy. <a href="http://www.thechicagocouncil.org/UserFiles/File/Task%20Force%20Reports/2010%20Religion%20Task%20Force_Full%20Report.pdf"></a></p>
<p>The group claims that countries see America’s focus on religious freedom as a form of imperialism and concludes that Western secularism feeds into religious extremism.</p>
<p>The report, produced by a group who wants to see government entangled with religion even at home, thinks the U.S. needs to close the “God gap.” To do this, they have asked for two things: that government officials and diplomats be educated about religion and that they have the ability to “engage” with religious communities abroad to get things done. Right now, the task force claims there are too many obstacles – namely the First Amendment – that prevent this type of activity.</p>
<p>Writing on <a href="http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/susan_jacoby/2010/02/more_religion_in_foreign_policy_a_recipe_for_disaster.html">The Washington Post</a>’s Web site, Susan Jacoby, who agreed that education on religion could be valuable, otherwise criticized the council’s recommendations for being “stunning in their naïveté.”</p>
<p>She accurately points out in <em>The Post</em>’s “On Faith” blog what can happen when American citizens interact too deeply with religious groups abroad. She cites the situation in Uganda, where a series of lectures on homosexuality by Religious Right activists <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2010/02/au-speaks-out-against.html">led</a> to the proposal of an anti-gay law by Ugandan legislator, David Bahati.</p>
<p>“[O]ne can only shudder at the thought of diplomats being urged to work more closely with religious groups,” Jacoby writes.</p>
<p>I was especially struck by language in the report that seems to indicate that America should be reluctant to champion human rights abroad because it might offend some religious believers. It calls on the United States to “recognize that human rights can be implemented effectively and robustly only in a manner consistent with different traditions and beliefs.”</p>
<p>But what about when the prevailing “traditions and beliefs” simply refuse to recognize certain groups’ rights? In some nations, women and members of minority religions are considered second-class citizens because of oppressive unions of religion and government. Is the report seriously arguing that our country not speak out against that? Remarkable!</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the Chicago Council’s recommendation may actually be taken seriously. Members of the task force <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/23/AR2010022305103.html">met</a> with Joshua DuBois, head of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and other government officials on Tuesday. In addition, the group has close ties to President Obama, who spoke once to the council as a state senator and twice as a U.S. Senator. Michelle Obama is even on their board.</p>
<p>We hope the report receives no more attention than it already has. What this group is calling for is unnecessary. They have made it seem that as things stand, Americans abroad must practice “secular fundamentalism” and can’t even acknowledge the existence of religion. That’s not true.</p>
<p>Government officials abroad should of course be educated about religion and the role it plays in the countries they travel to; no one disputes that. But that doesn’t mean we need to be ashamed of our country’s own tradition of ensuring religion doesn’t control government decisions. We are a secular state. The report seems to think that’s something to be ashamed of rather than a reason for pride.</p>
<p>Secular government is a positive value that’s worth exporting overseas. Think of it – our most stable and strongest allies tend to have secular governments either officially or by default. (When was the last time Finland caused any problems?) By contrast, harsh theocracies are usually dangerous and unstable, often harboring terrorists.</p>
<p>Just as Americans advocate for better conditions for citizens all of the world – such as urging countries to respect free speech, democratic elections and human rights – we can and should do the same for religious freedom. Many theocratic Middle Eastern nations, for example, would do well to adopt secular governments.</p>
<p>We have seen the benefits of our system – it keeps religious bigotry and disputes over religion at bay, while allowing religion to flourish. Why shouldn’t we be proud of what we have accomplished?</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/chicago-council-global-affairs">Chicago Council on Global Affairs</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/foriegn-policy">Foriegn policy</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/human-rights">human rights</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-freedom">religious freedom</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-liberty">Religious Liberty</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/secularism">secularism</a></span></div></div>Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:58:19 +0000Sandhya Bathija2408 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/international-intrigue-group-seeks-more-religion-in-us-foreign-policy#comments